holmes



ENTTEE sTaTEs PATENT oEEioE.

JNO. B. HOLMES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO JNO. R. PRATT AND JNO.B. HOLMES.

SHIPS WINDLASS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,612, dated September 25, 1855.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JOHN B. HOLMES, of NewYork, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Ships7 IVindlasses; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and clear and exact descriptionthereof and of the operation of the same, reference being had to theanneXed model and drawings, making part of this specification, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my improvement in ships7 windlasses consists in thearrangement of a shaft with double gearing and clutch coupling inrelation to the drums of the windlass and their gearing, whereby I amenabled to move one or both drums with a quick or with a slow motion, orthe one drum may be moved with the quick and the other with the slowmotion at the same time.

I will now proceed to describe the various parts and the operation of myimprovement with particular reference to the accompanying drawings, ofwhich- Figure l, represents an elevation of the windlass arranged withinor on the decks of a vessel. Fig. 2, gives an end view and Fig. 3, showsa partial section with the pawling apparatus attached. Fig. 4, and Fig.5, will be explained hereafter.

A, A in Fig. l, represents the two chain barrels or parts constitutingthe body of the windlass, they are placed upon the strong, solid andstationary iron bar or axis B within the bits of the vessels and aremade to revolve loosely upon B either separately or connected with eachother, the stationary bar B is supported by three or more bearers andthe body of the windlassr is constructed so as to bring the said axis 0rspindle B close up to the front edge of the bits, affording therebyincreased strength and stability so much so as to allow the ship to rideat anchors without additional chain Stoppers or pawls.

C', C and D, D are spur wheels of dierent sizes, firmly secured to-theends of the barrels and forming one piece with the latter. E, E is ahorizontal shaft, placed either above, as shown in the drawings, or onthe side of the windlass and arranged to turn freely in its bearings,when motion is imparted to it either by cranks attached directly to thesquared ends of the shaft, or

by levers and bars or by a combined bevel gearing as indicated in t-hedrawings; the latter being proposed and arranged for heavy ships and forthe purpose of working the windlass overhead and above deck, if occasionmay require it. Upon the shaft E are placed the spur wheels F, F and thepinions G, G, all of them running loosely on the former andindependently of each other. The spur wheels F, F are of the samediameter as t-he wheels D, D at the ends of the barrels A, A and theyare placed in such a way upon the shaft E, as to gear with the wheels D,D while the pinions G, G upon E are located to gear into the largerwheels C, O of the chain barrels. H, H are sleeves forming small barrelsthemselves, when light work is to be performed, they are constructed toslide laterally upon shaft E and in the same time are made to revolveconstantly with it by the agency of a stationary key or feather insertedwithin. Their ends terminate in carriers or clutches and the hubs of thewheels F, F and pinions G, G being provided with the same device, aremade to match when alternatively brought in Contact with one or theother. Thus, by shifting the sleeve H, for instance, toward the pinion Gas represented on the left hand side of the windlass in Fig. l of theannexed drawing, the pinion is temporarily made one part with shaft E bybeing in contact with H, and gearing into the large wheel O will carrythe barrel A, when motion is put to shaft E, at a rate of speed and witha power, in proportion to the differences of the wheel C and the pinionG, while wheel F upon E gearing 4into the smaller wheel D of the chainbarrel may revolve freely upon its axis, not being at the time incontact with H. Now, by shifting the sleeve in opposite direction, thatis toward wheel F, pinion G is set free and F is made to carry thebarrel and that, again, at a rate of speed and power proportionate tothe diameters of the wheels D, D and F, F. These wheels, as alreadydescribed, being of the same diameters, the power put to the shaft Ewill in this case cause the same effect as if applied to the barrel A ofthe windlass itself, and in reverse, by bringing the pinion G into gear,as explained, the effect upon the barrel can be multiplied to threetimes the value of the motive power or more or less with the same shaftE and in the same direction of motion. While operation is thus going onone side of the windlass and barrel A is acted upon, the right hand partof the windlass cr barrel A with all its gearing may remain sta tionaryby simply keeping the sleeve and clutches out of gear, as indicated onthe right hand side in Fig. l, showing the clutch lever I in a verticalposition and consequently the wheels F and G out of contact with II.

It will be perceived that by the arrangement and construction of thebody of the windlass and the rigging of the shaft E, as described, myimproved ships windlass is rendered suitable to the fullest extent, toaccomplish all the legitimate objects a windlass is designed for, viz.the raising and lowering anchors, one or both of them at a time, atdifferent velocities and with the exertion of more or less power or t-heaction of one part may be suspended entirely while the other side is inoperation, reducing thus the considerable friction and resistanceinherent to the working of heavy machinery to one half of the presentamount in ordinary windlasses where the entire machinery has to beoperated when but one part of the windlass is actually engaged. Fig. 3shows part of t-he spur wheels C', C, and exhibits the annular recess orgrooves S, S provided on the sides of C, C for t-he attachment of thepawling apparatus K, K as represented sectionally in the same figure. Myarrangement for pawling acts upon the principle of an eccentric wheninclosed in a box or frame and made to bear or press against the surfaceof the spur wheel C moving in one direction and to disengage or roll offwhen the wheel is turning the other way acting thus as a pawl in raisingor hauling loads. Further, by a combination of levers as hereinaftershown the action of my pawl can be regulated or suspended or increasedinstantaneously. It therefore, when combined as described serves as afriction brake for lowering.

K, K in Fig. 3, is a box made of two halves and forms a segment with thewheel C and it takes hold of the latter by the pro jections entering therecesses S, S on its two sides, so wheel C is allowed to pass in eitherdirection and to turn around when the pawl is disengaged.

M is a flat piece of iron placed within K, K and reaching over thesurface of two, three or more teeth of the spur wheel; laterally it iskept in its place by the sides of the box K, and the lever N, having itsfulcrum behind, but also within the box is located so as to bear withthe shorter arm against the top of the piece M and consequently againstthe wheel itself when either the rod T is operated or the foot levers,L, L are worked in case of loweringV harder against the wheel C the morepowerful the tendency is of the barrel A or A to revolve in a certaindirection, as it is the case in raising heavy loads.

L, L in Fig. 2, are combined levers for disengaging the action of thelever N upon M and for the purpose already set forth. A rod T may beattached to the longer arm of lever N if occasion should require to workthe windlass in the present manner by a grip and hand lever above deck.

In operating my windlass the chain P in Fig. 4, may either be workedaround the barrel in the usual way or it may be arranged to pas overaround barrel O geared with the main drum A and located so as to deliverthe chain at once into the hawser hole Q shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 5, exhibits the shape of the main and extra chain barrel or chainwheel if combined as represented in Fig. 4.

Having thus fully described the nature and operation of my invention Iwish it to be understood that I make no claim to the application ofwheels orgearing o-f any description to ships windlass for the purposeof occassionally increasing their power, as such has been done beforeand in particular has been described by Hendmarsh and others, nor do Imake any claim to the stationary or revolving shafts or spindle orspindles of the chain barrels A, A nor do I claim any of the partsconstituting my windlass when detached or separated but What I claim asnew in ships windlasses and what 4I desire to secure by Letters Patentis The arrangement of the shaft E with its gearing wheels F and Gr andthe clutch coupling I-I in relation to the drums of the windlass andtheir gearing as herein set forth; whereby the one or both drums may bemoved with a quick or with a slow mo tion; or the one drum may be movedwith the quick and the other with the slow motion at the same time.

JOHN B. HoLMEs.

wWitnesses IV. K. WVINANT, LHAS. EHMAN.

